Snap Shots
by kerriclifford240879
Summary: After a brutal confrontation with Lucas, Commander Taylor is forced to watch from within the past, while the son he lost taunts him from the future.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Snap Shots.

Author: Kerri

Beta: Miss Junie – thanks heaps as always, lovie!

Characters: Terra Nova - Lucas/Skye

Rating: Mature over all.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just using them for my own perverted sense of fun.

Feedback: Sure thing! Feedback is always helpful.

Summary: After a brutal confrontation with Lucas, Commander Taylor is forced to watch from within the past, while the son he lost taunts him from the future.

Authors note; this is my first time writing Terra Nova and Lucas/Skye, but they are a couple I was immediately drawn too, and have enjoyed reading and day dreaming about.

Authors note 2: I'm not including the scene where Lucas stabs the Commander, and Skye is forced to shoot him, or the destruction of Hope Plaza – the transporter never gets through. This picks up directly from where Lucas knocks Skye unconscious, and everything from there a product of my own twisted little mind. I am also twisting episodes 11 and 12 up some, so that the scenes play out better. So on that note, come, enjoy a ride in the twisted darkness of my mind. ;)

1 - Recommended listening - Super Psycho Love by Simon Curtis.

"And just how do you think you're gonna get this thing started? You don't know the code." Lucas drawled. He was watching her carefully, an almost wistful expression darkening his eyes.

Skye smiled at Lucas' question, and stepping up to the Rhino, she cupped his face in her hand.

"You know, I'd beat it out of you, but I'm ah, afraid you might _like that_, dear_ brother_," she said sweetly as she brushed her thumb across the sharp angle of Lucas' cheekbone.

The smile on her face faltered as Lucas turned his face further into her hand and nuzzled the soft skin of her palm briefly. But while the gesture might have been sweet from anyone else, it was the darker amusement that glowed in his eyes when she threatened him that sent chills racing down her spine. Snatching her hand away from his skin, Skye swallowed hard as Lucas' lips curved slightly. The look on his face was filled with mockery, and a cool smile graced his face, one that didn't reach his eyes and promised fierce retribution if he got free.

"Guess I'll just jack the starter," she managed, and as she backed away from him his mocking laughter followed her.

Skye managed to scrounge up some pliers, and with a soft oath of relief, she lifted the bonnet of the Rhino. Looking down at the motor, Skye felt her relief flee when she saw how complex the starter actually was. It didn't help that she could feel the weight of Lucas' eyes on her; when she glanced up at him, the slats of the Rhino cast shadows across his face. It was only when he tilted his head that she caught sight of his eyes, yet the shadows remained, causing him to look more menacing than she had ever seen him look before.

"My father's gonna destroy the fracture, isn't he?"

Lucas' voice startled her slightly, and Skye lost the grip she had on the sticky bolt. She just needed a few more minutes, and she'd have a half way decent chance of getting the starter going. Skye frowned as she tried tugging the wires of the starter free from under the bolt, but they remained stubbornly stuck. Even filtered by the trees the sun was unrelenting, and she blew impatiently at the stray lock of hair that was teasing the corner of her eye as sweat trickled slowly down her spine.

"He's gonna cut this place off from 2149."

Skye lifted her eyes momentarily, and locked gazes with Lucas. His eyes were piercingly direct as he stared at her, and he was calm... too calm. Skye could almost see the gears in his head turning as he shifted on the seat, and she was once more reminded that the man she was dealing with was a genius in more ways than one. More shaken than she wanted to let on, Skye blew out an unsteady breath and shook her head slightly as she tightened her grip on the pliers. He was restrained, she reminded herself firmly. But even that thought was fleeting as his voice whispered through her mind, reminding her that he had said that he wouldn't be so forgiving the next time she betrayed him.

"And I was so close to beating him."

Skye swallowed hard, and lowered her eyes. There was no mistaking the anger that had flitted across his face, and even though he was talking about his father, Skye knew that a lot of that anger was also directed at her.

"Hmm," she managed.

Leaning a little closer to the stubborn bolt, Skye tried her best to stay calm so that she wouldn't inadvertently trigger an explosion of anger from Lucas. He was dangerous at the best of times, but when he was angry... Josh's face flicked behind her eyes, and Skye flattened her lips into a thin line. When Lucas was angry, he was unpredictable.

"Taking it _all _away."

His voice turned sly, and as her eyes flew to his, Skye wondered briefly if Lucas was talking about Terra Nova, or something else entirely. There was a look on his face that frightened her to the very depths of her soul She lowered her eyes without answering him as she tightened her grip on the pliers again and used all of her strength to turn the bolt. And when the bolt suddenly shifted, she silently congratulated herself as she finally answered Lucas' quiet musings.

"Yeah, well, you win some, you lose some," she said carelessly, and then lifted her eyes.

She had a split second to take in the empty Rhino. Her breath hitched and caught in her throat, as her heart began to hammer with growing panic as she swept her eyes across the clearing that the Rhino was parked in. But it was too late. Lucas grabbed a handful of her hair, and twisting it within his clenched fist, brutally yanked her head backwards. His breath was warm against her forehead, yet the look in his eyes caused chills to break out over her body, and Skye sent a quick prayer to whoever was listening that he'd kill her quickly. Time slowed as he brushed his cheek over her forehead, and when he spoke, his lips caressed her skin as they had done only a week ago at the Sixer's camp.

"And I like to win."

His gently spoken words had barely registered when he violently slammed her face first into the bonnet of the Rhino, and pain obliterated every other sense. Darkness immediately took her under, and Lucas snorted as her limp body slid from the Rhino and hit the ground with a bone jarring thud. Stepping over her, Lucas walked around the Rhino and punched the code in. But the starter refused to kick over, and Lucas swore angrily. Snatching the comm up from the seat of the Rhino, Lucas spoke briskly as he looked over to where Skye lay motionless on the ground.

"Hooper, are you there?"

"_This is Hooper. I'm not reading you, the interference is too strong._"

"It's a trap," Lucas spat, as he walked back around the Rhino and lifted the sonic pistol from where Skye had left it while she had been trying to start the transporter.

"_Come again, Lucas,_" Hooper said, and in a blind twist of luck, Hooper took a few more steps away from the portal, where the comm link frequency became crystal clear.

"Hope Plaza is under attack. They need to power down and sever their link to the fracture; otherwise we could lose it for good. Do you copy?" Lucas asked angrily, and when Hooper swore, Lucas closed his eyes momentarily in relief.

"They have a transport headed your way, with the correct codes. It's a trap; do _not _let it go through to Hope Plaza. Detain it, and arrest those bastards driving it."

"_Copy that. Contacting Hope Plaza now. What's your ETA?_"

Rubbing at his eye with his knuckles, Lucas' gaze flickered across the dense foliage that surrounded him. All his hard work...

"Detain them until I get there," he muttered. "I'll deal with them all. My father will be near... be alert, for fucks sake. Taylor out," he finished, and slipped the comm into his pocket as he rounded the Rhino.

It was only as he stepped over Skye's prone figure that he spared her another glance. Bruising was already spreading across her forehead, highlighting just how pale the rest of her face was. The force of the blow had split the skin of her forehead open, and blood was trickling slowly into her hairline. The scent of her blood would draw the predators in the area, and without another thought, Lucas walked away from her; the Nykoraptors could have her ass - he was done with her. The thought had barely cleared his mind when his comm beeped in his pocket. Pulling it out, Lucas rotated his shoulders as he answered the summons.

"Taylor."

"_We have the transport. It wasn't the original cargo._"

"No shit, Hooper. What was it?" he spat as he rolled his eyes.

"_Some big arsed dinosaur, a bomb, and Jim Shannon_."

Lucas chuckled slightly at the attempt that had been taken to regain control of Hope Plaza.

"Jesus. I'm on my way. Call for my father, he'll be close enough to see you. If he doesn't show himself, start killing his _precious _soldiers," he said as he brushed at the tiny insects that hovered along his forearm.

"_And if that doesn't force his hand? What do we do then?_"

Lucas swore softly. Not even killing Washington, his father's second in command, had drawn his father from his hiding spot. Maybe he'd been wrong in telling Bucket that his father was a man, and not a God... The thought flitted through his mind, and Lucas suddenly laughed softly as he stopped still and glanced over his shoulder. It was crazy, he reasoned silently as he slowly strolled back towards the clearing where the Rhino was. Crazy, and damn near suicidal, but by God, if he could pull it off, this would not only hurt his father, it would damn near destroy him...

"On second thought, just restrain them. ETA twenty minutes by foot," Lucas said softly.

"_Just restrain them? With your father out there, just waiting to take back control of Terra Nova? Are you out of your God damn mind, Lucas?" _Hooper hissed, causing Lucas to laugh softly as he crouched down beside Skye and flicked a stray curl from her forehead.

"Most probably," he said. "But brilliance isn't easy...," he mused quietly, and then stood up as his mind cleared. "Taylor out," he said abruptly, and turned his comm off, cutting Hooper off mid rant.

Heading back to the Rhino, he grabbed a pair of the plastic restraints that Mark Reynolds had used on him, before he returned to Skye's side and crouched down. He wasn't gentle when he wrenched her hands together; his movements were brisk and filled with agitation as he slipped the restraints over her wrists and pulled them tight. Yanking her limp form up, Lucas bent down and braced his shoulder against her stomach. Locking his arm across the back of her knees, he stood up and turned towards the fracture as a ghost of a smile crossed his face. No, brilliance wasn't easy on the mind, but Jesus, revenge had never tasted so good.

XxXxX

Lucas quietly made his way through the jungle; years of practice allowed him to move silently, so much so, that when he appeared behind Hooper and spoke his name, the soldier jumped in fright. Hooper spun around to look at Lucas, his icy eyes flicking over Lucas in relief. But when he saw who Lucas had slung over his shoulder, he blanched. His mouth opened and closed several times as Lucas cocked an eyebrow.

"That's...that's your... Skye Tate," Hooper finished awkwardly, and Lucas snickered softly.

"Yup, my beautiful _sister_," he murmured as he patted his free hand against Skye's ass, "and she's gonna bring dear old Dad running. I'm going through to 2149. I need you to lock down Terra Nova for the next few days until reinforcements arrive, before you send half the troops to the Badlands. I'll keep you informed of my moves."

Moving around to the front of the fracture, Lucas allowed himself a small moment of satisfaction when he saw the small band of loyal Terra Nova soldiers who were kneeling with their hands secured behind their backs. He locked eyes with Jim Shannon as he crouched down near the terminal and let Skye's body slip from his arms. Jim looked past Lucas to look at who he had been carrying, and when he saw Skye laying on her side and not moving, his eyes widened in concern, before flicking back to meet Lucas' steady gaze. It was the condemnation in the older man's eyes that caused Lucas to cross the distance between them, and kick Jim in the face with no warning. The force of the blow shattered Jim's nose, and blood sprayed the air as Jim collapsed onto his side and cried out in pain.

"I'd remember just _who's_ in charge around here, Shannon, before you start casting stones," Lucas warned, as Hooper laughed behind him

Turning back to face his hired gun, Lucas glared at Hooper who fell silent and visibly swallowed.

"Reboot the portal," he hissed, as he wrenched the sonic pistol from his holster, "and get my computer. Taylor!," he shouted angrily, and when there was no answer, he snarled in frustration.

Turning the setting on his sonic pistol up to full, he stalked towards the group of bound soldiers, Lucas pointed the sonic at Jim's head, and called out once more.

"Taylor! You have thirty seconds to show yourself, before I blow his fucking head off! I know you saw me kill Washington, don't think I won't!"

The soft whir of a sonic rifle announced his father, and Lucas smiled in grim satisfaction as the Commander stepped slowly out of the jungle with his rifle raised and held steady on his son. Around him, the other soldiers leveled their own weapons on the Commander, but neither man paid them any attention.

"Lucas, step away from the portal." The Commander said evenly, threat evident in his tone.

Lucas raised his eyebrow again, and stepped back from Jim as he tilted his head.

"I'd take it easy with that gun if I were you," he warned softly.

"I'll say it one more time – step away from the portal, or I'll shoot you," was all his father said.

"No, you won't," Lucas scoffed softly, and stepping back towards the portal, he raised his hand and let the power of the fracture vibrate against his palm. It flickered softly, and Lucas smirked again when he saw his father lower his weapon slightly.

"A blast from that sonic will blow the fracture apart, and it'll cut you off from the future for good..." He trailed off as he stepped towards the terminal and nudged Skye's motionless body with the tip of his boot. "And you wouldn't want _that_, would you, old man?" he asked softly.

Lucas knew the exact moment his father made the connection between being cut off and what Lucas was threatening him with, because he blanched. And as Commander Taylor's eyes flickered between the son of his blood and his daughter by choice, Lucas smiled coldly.

"I can't tell you how glad I am that you're here," he said softly as he watched the Commander's eyes linger briefly on Skye, before snapping back to meet his own. "All those nights I spent out in the jungle. Freezing. Starving. The only thing that kept me alive was the thought of you _being_ here to see this."

The Commander swallowed hard, and he let his weapon fall to his side as he took a step towards Lucas.

"Son..." he croaked, and Lucas felt a swift ripple of rage steal across his face

"Don't! Don't call me that," he shouted angrily as he took a few uncontrollable steps towards his father. He closed his eyes momentarily to regain tight control over his emotions, but when the crackle of leaves under foot penetrated his anger, he reopened his eyes and glared at his father.

But when the Commander took another step towards him, Lucas leveled his sonic pistol at him. The move froze the Commander in his tracks when he saw how steady Lucas' aim was. This wasn't the son who had pointed a sonic at him five years ago. Back then, the gun had been held wrong, and Lucas' hand had shaken so badly that it had caused the Commander to flush in shame at just how untrained his son was. The man standing in front of him now, however, might have been born of his flesh, but he was no longer his son. No – now he was facing a stranger, a stranger whose aim was steady and true, and when the Commander looked into Lucas' eyes, he knew that Lucas would kill him with no hesitation, and no mercy.

"Listen to me," the Commander pleaded. "There are good people here. _Innocent_ people. Think what'll happen to Terra Nova if you go through with this."

"Oh, I know what's gonna happen." Lucas laughed, but the sound was without humor. "They're gonna come and take you off your throne, and make you watch while they strip this place and take it for everything its worth," Lucas spat.

The Commander straightened up as his face twisted with anger. "Over my dead body," he growled.

"Oh, that's the spirit!" Lucas said bitterly, gesturing wildly with his free hand. "Go down fighting for... for a dream, some utopia and all that's right and true! Open your eyes, old man, it's over! I beat you. I won."

In the silence that followed, Lucas watched as his father sagged slightly.

"What _do_ you want, Lucas?" he asked finally, and Lucas dragged the back of his hand across his nose as his mind raced frantically.

"What do _I_ want?" he mumbled, and pressed his fingers briefly against his temple as fatigue and stress beat a thumping rhythm against the inside of his skull. "What do I…? I want to watch you suffer like I have for all these years," he said finally. "To make you feel what I've felt. And I've finally figured out how to hurt you most," he muttered as he momentarily fisted his hands in his hair. The pain bought clarity, and he blinked the world back into focus.

"You don't think I've suffered at the thought of you being out here?" his father asked, and Lucas leveled his father with a bemused look.

"Quite frankly? No," he said dryly. "After all, it was _you_ who banished _me_," he said, and he watched in satisfaction as his father flinched, while those loyal to Terra Nova snapped their eyes towards the Commander in shock.

"_Oh_... been keeping _that _dirty little secret to yourself have you, Commander?" Lucas asked softly. "Let me guess... they all think I got lost in the big, bad jungle. We can't have the good people of Terra Nova knowing that you banished your own son, can we? Can't have them knowing that you kicked me out, and left me here, unarmed, can we? Doesn't fit the image you've created for yourself; a Commander who is justice and truth personified. Heads up, old man... now they know that you're as deceptive as Bucket here."

Lucas laughed bitterly as he shook his head. Turning around, he crouched down and rolled Skye onto her back. He ignored the soft mutterings he heard behind him when the captives caught sight of her, and tilted his head slightly as he tracked his eyes over her face. Her blood had congealed against her skin, from the start of her hair line to the edge of her ear. The bruising from the force of the blow was a sickly shade of black and blue, and Lucas felt his jaw clench momentarily as he carefully tucked a stray curl behind her ear.

"Is that what you mean by hurting me? By destroying Terra Nova?" his father asked, and Lucas smiled slightly at his father's desperate attempt to distract him.

Hooper shifted to Lucas' side and handed him the satchel that held his computer. Lucas hooked it over his shoulder, and then slipping his arms under her, he picked Skye up and shifted so that her head rested against the curve of his shoulder. And when he turned back to face his father, his father blanched when he saw level of calm that had settled over his son's face.

"No. Terra Nova is just a means to an end now," he murmured finally, looking down at Skye's pale face. "I want you to suffer like I did. I want you to lay awake at night, because the fear keeps gnashing at you like a Nykoraptor's teeth. I want your every thought to be consumed by what ifs. I figured that by killing Washington, I would succeed. I was wrong, wasn't I?" he asked, flicking a glance towards his father. "Wash was _never_ your weakness. It was always _her_. My beautiful Bucket."

The Commander swallowed hard, and when he took another step towards Lucas, Lucas clucked his tongue and shook his head. "Uh huh. You stay right there."

"Lucas... She's just a child. She's innocent," the Commander croaked, and Lucas smiled slightly.

"Maybe she was innocent oncein _your_ eyes, but I asked her, Commander, if you had spoken to her since her betrayal was brought to light. Her pain and confusion were so obvious, that I could _taste_ them in the air…." Lucas said, as he momentarily closed his eyes. "My sweet Bucket…. Have you kept her so starved for a kind word that she feels like a pariah for trying to save her mother? Time… She figures that you just need _time_. So how much time do you need? Hours? Days? Or will it be five years, like it was with me?" Lucas asked coldly.

"Lucas... Please don't hurt her," the Commander pleaded.

"Hurt her?" Lucas mocked. "Why would I ever hurt my sister? No, it's _you_ I want to hurt. Besides," he said calmly, "she's safer with me, than she'd ever be with _you_. You, with your judgment, and lack of understanding. You put _everything_ before your children. Your career, your people, your precious bloody Terra Nova…"

"I'll do whatever you want," the Commander interrupted as he took a couple of quick steps towards Lucas. "I'll… we'll figure it out, son… you can show me your work... I can step down and we can leave this place, just the two of us..."

Lucas smiled slightly, and shifting Skye in his arms, he leveled hate filled green eyes on his father.

"Too little too late, _Commander_. Soon, you'll be on your knees, _begging _me for mercy. The next time we meet, I won't be alone," he warned as he backed towards the portal.

"Lucas! Please!" the Commander cried.

His cries fell on deaf ears, and with a cold smile, Lucas stepped through the portal. There was a flash of blinding light, and when the Commander blinked away the spots before his eyes and looked for his son, he fell to his knees and hung his head when he saw that Lucas was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

2.

Lucas stepped out into 2149, and immediately closed his eyes as he fought against the nausea that came from time traveling. But when Skye moaned softly, his eyes snapped open and he looked down at her. Her eyes were slowly opening and closing, the blue depths clouded over in confusion. Her skin was pale and tinged green as a ripple of pain crossed her delicate features. Shifting her slightly within the cradle of his arms, Lucas looked up when he heard the hurried steps of Hope Plaza personnel. His lips twisted into a grimace when he saw Weaver amongst the group, but by the time the other man had reached his side, Lucas had schooled his features into casual indifference. But when Skye moaned again and twisted away from Lucas' shoulder and to the side, Lucas couldn't help the sharp bark of laughter that escaped his lips as her nausea got the better of her, and the contents of her stomach splashed across Weaver's shoes. Weaver yelped and jumped away from Lucas' side, causing Lucas to snicker softly.

"Time travel's a bitch," Lucas murmured, and when Weaver glared at him, Lucas snickered again as he hoisted Skye up a little bit, so that her head rested against his shoulder again.

"What happened?" Weaver asked, and Lucas pursed his lips slightly.

"Ambush," he said finally. "Ambush, betrayal, and espionage."

Without sparing Weaver another glance, Lucas began to head deeper into the Plaza. Behind him, Weaver blanched before he hurried after the retreating young man.

"Ambush," he parroted. "Do we still have control?"

Lucas nodded once, a sharp jerking of his head. "Yes. Hooper should be transporting those involved back to Terra Nova as we speak."

Weaver reached out to pluck at Lucas' elbow, only to drop his hand when Lucas jerked away from him. "What are you planning on then, Lucas?" he asked. "Execution?"

Lucas snorted and shook his head. "Where's the fun in that?" he asked. "To win at psychological warfare, you can't go killing the person you want to drive insane. It defeats the purpose." He paused for a second as a secretive smile flitted across his face. "No, those involved will be kept in the Brig, with nothing but their thoughts to keep them company. I started this war against my father five years ago. Now it's time to step it up...things are about to get interesting. I almost wish I could be there when I start, just to see the look on his face."

Weaver winced, and shifting tact, spoke a little too cheerfully. "Well, we did it," he said, and Lucas snorted.

"No. _I_ did it. Yes, you helped take Terra Nova, but without me, Weaver, you'd still be sitting in your Dome and watching the world die around you," Lucas said dryly. "So don't go thinking that the war is won. It's only just starting."

Weaver opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it. He simply maintained silence as Lucas tilted his head towards the Rover that was parked nearby.

"Is my apartment ready?" he asked, and when Weaver nodded, Lucas headed for the Rover. He shifted Skye again, and shrugged the satchel that housed his computer off his shoulder. A soldier stepped forward and opened the door to the Rover, but when he made the mistake of reaching for Skye, Lucas snarled.

"Don't fucking touch her," he snapped, and the soldier stepped back quickly as Lucas swept his eyes over the gathered group.

The feral light in his eyes had several of the personal moving nervously, and Weaver taking a step out of Lucas' reach. When Lucas saw that no one was planning on stepping forward again, he slid into the back of the Rover and carefully arranged Skye on his lap, so that her head rested against his chest before he picked up one of the rebreathers, and settled it over Skye's nose and mouth. Holding her there, he finally settled his computer between his feet, and then glared at Weaver.

"Well? I'm not getting any younger here, and I really don't want to be sitting here all day," he said sardonically. Weaver stepped forward and leaned down to look at Lucas through the open door.

"That's it?" he asked in disbelief, and Lucas smirked.

"That's it," he confirmed, and when Weaver continued to look at him, Lucas shifted in agitation.

"What?" he asked, and when Weaver glanced at Skye, Lucas tightened his arm around her.

"What's she doing here, Lucas?" Weaver asked in a low voice. "The deal was that you made the fracture go both ways, so that we could begin mining Terra Nova. There was nothing in the deal that said you could play cave man and bash some girl over the head to bring home as a play mate..."

His words died away abruptly, when the soft whir of a sonic echoed between them. The barrel of the sonic was cold against the skin on the underside of his chin, and when Weaver slowly raised his eyes, he saw that Lucas wouldn't hesitate in killing him if he spoke again. He hadn't even seen him draw the gun, let alone shift to threaten him with it.

"All I have done for the last five years, is calculate how to make the fracture work to our advantage," Lucas said softly. "I'm tired, Weaver. Tired and hungry, and my head is fucking _killing_ me here, and _you_ want to discuss my bed mates?"

Weaver shook his head slowly, and held his hands up in the universal sign of peace. "You want her here, Lucas, that's fine, but it would be a professional courtesy to be told _why,_" he managed as Lucas dug the barrel slightly deeper into his throat.

For a long moment, Weaver held his breath as Lucas stared at him coldly. But then Lucas snorted, and dropped the gun away from Weaver's throat.

"_Why_ she's here is not your concern," he said coolly as he picked up his own rebreather. "Again, you're not being paid to keep me waiting."

Weaver nodded, and then climbed into the front seat of the Rover without another word. He waited silently as a soldier climbed into the driver's seat and punched in the code. And when the Rover finally started moving, he lifted his eyes to the mirror on the vizor, and watched Lucas. Lucas wasn't aware of his gaze, however, as his attention was on the young girl in his arms as she began to shake with cold. The difference in temperature between Terra Nova and Hope Plaza was about twenty five degrees, and as hard as he fought it, not even Lucas was able to maintain his strength. Lucas shivered once, a violent shaking of his body that jarred Skye as the cold air hit his skin, before he hunched his shoulders against the rushing wind.

"Lucas..." Weaver said softly, and when Lucas' eyes flashed to his, Weaver gestured silently. "There's a blanket on the seat beside you," Weaver murmured, and when Lucas found it, he pulled it over himself and Skye with an unsteady hand.

And as Weaver watched, he saw Lucas sigh and close his eyes, before resting his cheek against the crown of Skye's head. They both continued to shiver, and Lucas curled deeper into the seat and pulled Skye tighter against him as he fought against five years of fatigue. Lack of food, lack of sleep, and Weaver waited for Lucas to drop into sleep like a stone into a river. Lucas never slept though – he simply rested with his eyes shut, while the subtle scent of Skye's hair teased his senses. She smelt clean and fresh, a scent that wasn't readily available in 2149, and Lucas tilted his head and nuzzled the softness of her hair slightly. He heard a subtle shift of weight on leather, and opened his eyes; when he met Weaver's gaze, Lucas tightened his grip on the sonic that was still held in his hand under the blanket. He held Weaver's gaze unblinkingly until Weaver finally looked away, but Lucas remained as he was – silent and aware, as the Rover sped through the night.

XxXxXxX

The apartment Weaver had organized for Lucas wasn't overly large; it was sparsely furnished, but the space was plenty large enough for him. Lucas smiled grimly as he looked around; _finally_, someone had listened to exactly what he wanted. A small kitchenette, a bed, a bathroom, and enough work space to complete phase two of his work, which included walls that he could write on and erase from with no more than a swipe of his hand. He didn't need the fancy space Weaver had originally offered him - he had no use for it. This was plenty big enough for one, and as he glanced down at the girl he carried, Lucas shrugged. What was big enough for one, would be big enough, for the foreseeable future, for two.

Carrying Skye through the dimly lit space, he laid her down on the couch in the bedroom, and rotated his head slowly as he stretched. Weaver had offered to come up with him, but Lucas had declined. He wanted a hot shower and some food, before he planned on sleeping for the next twenty four odd hours. But when Skye whimpered softly, Lucas frowned and crouched down beside her. The blood on her face had dried and was flaking away from her skin, leaving behind a dull red stain. Lucas feathered his fingers lightly across the bruise that marred her skin, before closing his hand into a fist to hide the tremor. Biting his lip, Lucas tracked his eyes over Skye's pale face, searching for any sign of wakefulness. But when she remained silent, Lucas gave into his need for a shower, and headed into the small bathroom.

The shower stall wasn't overly large, but there was a fresh bar of soap and the water was hot; Lucas closed his eyes, braced his hands against the wall and let the water beat down onto his neck and shoulders. Other than a quick shower the last time he had been in 2149, Lucas couldn't clearly remember the last time he had had the luxury of taking a shower that was both hot and long. He'd bathed in the pools of water that surrounded Snake Head Falls back on Terra Nova, but when it was the middle of winter, one didn't linger in the cold water for long. Even the water at Terra Nova hadn't been truly hot – fresh and warm, yes, but not hot. And as he turned under the water and tilted his face up to the spray, Lucas groaned softly as he swept his drenched hair back over his head. Five years of stress, fatigue and grime slowly sluiced down his body as he rubbed a bar of soap over his skin; over the taut muscle of his arms and shoulders, along the hard planes of his chest and stomach, and down the length of his legs as he braced his hands against the wall again and closed his eyes.

By the time he finished his shower, the hot water had cooled, and his stomach was twisting into knots as hunger brought him back to his senses. The towel was coarse against his skin, and he enjoyed the brief prickle of pain it brought as he rubbed himself dry. Unconcerned with his nudity, he rubbed the towel across his head as he left the bathroom and walked past the couch in the bedroom. A quick glance told him that Skye was still out cold, and he felt the first prickle of worry that maybe he had hit her far harder than he should have. Anger had burned like acid in his veins when he realized she had betrayed him again, but he didn't want to cause her permanent damage – damaging her like this didn't serve his purpose, and after searching the unit that housed the clothes that Weaver had purchased for him, he pulled on a pair of pants that slung low on his hips. Padding back to the couch on bare feet, he bent down and brushed Skye's hair away from her forehead. Again his hand shook slightly when he touched her, and with a silent oath, he returned to the bathroom and began to look for the medikit that came standard in every Dome apartment.

When he finally unearthed it in the kitchen, he knelt by Skye's side, and began to carefully clean away the dried blood from her face. The cut on her forehead was slightly puffy under his questing fingers, and Lucas slowly ran a medi-light over it, sealing the cut shut and killing the beginnings of the infection. Running the medi-light over the bruising on her forehead, Lucas chewed on his lower lip as the swelling and discoloration slowly faded under the blue light. When he was finally satisfied, the bruising had subsided, and color was beginning to seep back into Skye's face. His appetite abruptly gone, Lucas carefully packed the medikit away, and then returned to the lounge to kneel at Skye's side again. Tracing the curve of her eyebrow with his fingertip, Lucas slowly relaxed when he saw that his hand was no longer shaking. Tracking tired eyes over Skye's body, Lucas stood up and scooped her into his arms, before carrying her across the room to the bed.

His emotions detached, Lucas laid Skye down and systematically stripped her of her boots and socks. But when he reached for the buttons of her pants, he hesitated. His mind was over crowded, his thoughts fracturing as he stared down at her in the dim light. Curling his hands into fists, he pressed hard against his temples for a moment, before reaching out and carefully undoing the buttons. Her legs were smooth under his fingertips as he tugged her pants down her thighs, and he dropped them carelessly on the ground before reaching for the plastic restraints that still encircled her wrists. Her skin was slightly red and puffy from the restraints, and Lucas pulled Skye into a sitting position and tugged her jacket away from her body. The jacket joined her pants, and Lucas shifted her on the bed so that she was curled on her side. Rocking slightly as he knelt there, Lucas tugged the bedding up, cocooning her in warmth under the blankets. It was only as he stood up that his hand brushed the restraints he had removed from her. Picking them up, Lucas stared at them for a moment, before walking around the bed and picking up the satchel that housed his computer. He tucked the restraints inside, removed his Plex, and slid the satchel under the bed.

His eyes took on a calculating light as he tapped the Plex against his open palm; he'd been completely serious when he'd told Weaver that he was planning on stepping up the way he taunted his father, and as he tilted his head slightly, a cool smile crossed his face before he headed back to the low couch that sat against the wall opposite the bed. Sitting down, he smiled slightly, and pressed start on the message system. After he had recorded the message he wanted to send his father, he tapped into the tight line between Terra Nova and 2149. It was Hooper who answered, and Lucas smirked in amusement as Hooper tapped his Plex against his hand to try and get a better signal, before he gave up and spoke. The sound was garbled, and rolling his eyes, Lucas tapped out a quick message to Hooper, telling him to hook it up to the MegaPlex system, and to hit the free form program. A hologram of Hooper flickered and then solidified before him, and Lucas rolled his eyes again at how startled Hooper appeared. While a great Mercenary, a brain Hooper was not.

"Lucas. How are things in 2149?" Hooper asked, and Lucas snorted softly as he scratched his belly.

"The planet's dying, Hooper. How do you _think _things are?" he asked dryly, and when Hooper flinched, Lucas snorted. "How are our illustrative guests on this fine evening?" Lucas asked, and Hooper brightened.

"Jim Shannon was promising bloody murder when we locked him the Brig. Shannon's wife kicked up a stink, but when she found out that you had the girl, she back-peddled so quickly, that I'm surprised she didn't trip over her own feet. The younger Shannon kicked up a fuss over that information too, but when threatened with time beside his father, his mother took control and promised to keep him out of our way."

"And you believed her?" Lucas asked, and Hooper snorted.

"Not for a fucking minute," he said, and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "If the boy isn't in the Brig by nightfall tomorrow, one of the soldiers has promised to push him until he snaps, so that we have grounds to lock him up anyway. Terra Nova is under Lock Down Law; no one moves without our permission, Lucas."

"And how are Mira and the others?" Lucas asked, and Hooper shrugged.

"Getting ready to make her way to the Badlands. She's promised to check in morning and night until she gets there and sets up a strong communication link between Terra Nova, the Badlands and 2149."

Lucas nodded, and as he stood up, he tapped his Plex a few times, before grinning slightly.

"In the morning, take a Plex to my father, and let him access the message I just sent you. It's password protected, Hooper, but tell him he should know the date by heart."

Hooper nodded, and after tilting his head, Lucas signed off and tossed the Plex aside. Powering down the apartment, he padded to the bed on silent feet, and sank down beside Skye with barely a sound. The mattress was soft under his weary body, and the pillow felt like mecca when his head sank into it. Closing his eyes, Lucas groaned once, a soft, slightly mournful sound that carried into the dead of night. He was used to being tired – to sleeping on the ground, or in caves, and at some points during his past, sleeping precariously balanced on tree branches, high above the ground and away from the predators.

But as tired as he was, he couldn't simply drop into sleep the way he was used to being able to do. Snatching a moments rest, whether it be twenty minutes or three hours, was a luxury he had never taken for granted. But here, now, after all of his hard work had paid off, he couldn't relax. And as fatigue caused his fragile mind to fracture even further, Lucas fisted his hands and pushed them against his eyes. Maybe the sounds of the night were too different, he wasn't sure; opening his eyes again, he breathed slowly as he tried to pick out what was keeping him awake.

The windows shut out the pollution, the perspex so thick that very little outer noise penetrated the room at all. Maybe that was the problem – he was used to feeling the elements on his skin. He was used to feeling the silkiness of a cool breeze on a hot night, or the refreshing chill when it rained. He was used to hearing the sounds of the jungle as it settled – the call of the Howlers, and the swaying of brush as the creatures of Terra Nova moved through it. He was used to hearing the rush of water at Snake Head Falls, and the crackle of fire. To smelling the scent of burning wood, and the absolute cleanness of the air. The dense foliage of the jungle had hundreds of different scents, and not one of them was present in 2149 save the ones that lingered along Skye's skin and hair. Rolling his head along the pillow as she sighed softly, Lucas glanced at her as he struggled to formulate the answers as to _why_. It took a long moment of fierce concentration to pin point it, and when he finally did, he snorted in wry amusement at himself.

While he had never shied away from the offers to meet his more primal needs, he had never shared a bed with any of the woman at the Sixer's camp. So used to his own company, he was usually pulling his pants up before his sexual partner had caught their breath – but here, now, he was sharing his space, in the most basic of ways. Listening to Skye breathe, and the soft rustle of fabric as she shifted slightly were not sounds he was used to hearing when he was trying to sleep. Rolling onto his side, Lucas studied Skye in the quiet darkness. He was unable to stop himself from reaching out and lightly dragging the pad of his thumb across the curve of her lower lip as he studied her. She was beautiful to him in the way his equations were – she made him curious, and curiosity had always been his downfall. What made Skye Tate so compelling? Feathering his fingers across her jaw line, Lucas wondered if his quest to find out would drive him further into insanity, or if it would bring him back from the brink he had been teetering on since his father had destroyed his work and banished him.

Blinking slowly, Lucas felt the slow slide towards sleep begin to beckon him, a slide that he welcomed as Skye's face blurred before his eyes. And when he dropped off the edge into oblivion, he did so without further thought. His face relaxed into innocence that many knew he had shed long ago, as he slowly relaxed. Laying there, silent and still with his frantic mind blessedly silent for the time being, Lucas unknowingly took the first steps back towards his humanity. He only stirred once during the long hours he slept, and even then it was a gentle rise and fall as he wondered at the softness that his face was pressed into. At the back of his mind, he finally made the connection between Skye's hair, and the fact that he was holding her more intimately than he had ever held anyone. Curling further into her body, Lucas pushed his face into the depth of her hair that was spread across his pillow from where he had unknowingly pulled her into the curve of his body as they slept. Warm and oddly content, Lucas dropped back into sleep for several more hours; he was rudely awoken, however, by the resounding sound of palm meeting flesh, and the stinging reminder that reality brought with it.


	3. Chapter 3

3.

The Brig was over crowded, yet it was strangely quiet. The slats on the windows had been closed tight, leaving those inside with nothing but the sound of their own laboured breathing to keep them company. There was the occasional clink as a body shifted causing the restraints around their wrists to move; the silence in the dark was deafening. The scent of blood and sweat was thick in the air, and when a man coughed, the silence resumed almost immediately. Nathaniel Taylor knelt, much as he had when Lucas had disappeared through the portal; but instead of his hands being braced on his knees as he knelt with a lowered head, his hands were now drawn behind him and cuffed. The chain between the cuffs ran around a pole, forcing him to remain kneeling, and not allowing him any relief – Lucas' parting gift, it seemed. His men had tried speaking to him several times, but when one's voice was strained due to being shocked well over a dozen times with a Taser, one didn't want to use it very often.

For Commander Nathaniel Taylor, however, it wasn't the Taser that had stolen his voice. It had been the emotionally brutal confrontation with his son, and the soul crushing knowledge that his own flesh hated him. Call him a fool, but in the darkest corner of his mind, Nathaniel had dreamed that he would one day find Lucas; he would find him, and bring Lucas back into Terra Nova, where his son would be welcomed home with open arms. And within the comforting folds of Terra Nova all would finally be forgiven between father and son. That dream had withered when Nathaniel had watched Lucas shoot Washington. It had shown Nathaniel this coldness inside Lucas that hadn't been present before. His dream had crumbled into dust when his son had levelled a sonic pistol on him. There hadn't been a single tremor in Lucas' steady aim and Nathaniel had seen his own death in his son's eyes. The dream had finally died, however, when the last look Lucas had levelled on him had shown undiluted hatred glowing in eyes the same shade and shape as his own. It had crushed Nathaniel's soul and left him reeling, so much so, that he had been restrained without even realising it.

His subsequent return to Terra Nova had not returned his voice, nor had the torture he had been on the receiving end of – many had viewed him as stoic and stubborn – only a few knew that the Commander had retreated inside of himself where the pain could not touch him. But here in the dark, with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company, he was suffocating in fear and guilt. Guilt that it had come to this. Guilt that there were good people in Terra Nova who had lost their lives in the crossfire; caught up in a war between father and son, and that they had died without ever knowing _why_. Guilt that he had driven Lucas to this point in his life. And fear. Oh God, the fear for Skye was a living entity in him. Skye had been unconscious at Lucas' feet, and she was obviously hurt. But with Lucas taking Skye through to 2149 with him, he had no idea what Lucas would do to her, and that was his fault too. He'd had plenty of opportunities to talk to Skye after finding out what she'd been doing. To find out how she even knew Lucas. To find out what they had spoken about. His feelings, and yes, he could admit it, his god damn pride, had kept Skye at arms length. And now he was being forced to relive his own past actions, where the outcome was still the same. His children were beyond his reach, and he was helpless to do anything about it.

Kneeling in the dark, Nathaniel was forced to face his own past. It had taken him and Ayani a long time to conceive their son, a journey that had been fraught with miscarriage and loss. In the end they had conceived him with medical help, and fearing yet another heartbreaking loss, Ayani had been confined to bed rest from the very start of her pregnancy. Even with that rest however, they had almost lost Lucas before they could bring him into the world. Only medical science had saved their child, and when Lucas had been born, the doctors had warned them that another pregnancy was not on the cards for them. But in that fragile moment, holding his son in one arm and his wife with the other, Nathaniel hadn't cared what the doctors were saying – he had the most precious gift a man could be given. And as he stared down at the tiny bundle that was his child his head was filled with dreams of what he and Lucas' future would look like.

Right from the very start, Lucas was a gentle soul – he'd been more interested in Science and Maths than playing with the other children at the Army base. He was more interested in mapping the sky out on his bedroom ceiling; following the books carefully Lucas had applied the tiny glow-in-the-dark stickers to his roof, mapping out constellations and nebulas, while quietly telling his parents that he would discover the stars one day on his own terms. It hadn't taken Nathaniel and Ayani long to realise just how smart Lucas was. Genius wasn't a term that had been applied to Lucas lightly, but even at the tender age of nine, it had been applied nonetheless. Nathaniel's dreams of inducting his son into the Army were replaced with dreams of watching his son become a Nuclear Physicist. And when that dream began to solidify, he couldn't have been more proud. While he might not have understood how his son's mind worked, Nathaniel made no secret of his pride in Lucas' achievements. But then the War in Somalia broke out, and it changed their lives in a way that Nathaniel couldn't have predicted.

"_I asked Lucas why he hates you so much, and he said to ask you about Somalia." _

That day stood out in crystal clarity for Nathaniel. He could still smell the stomach-turning scent of blood and burning flesh that had hung so heavily in the air. The families of the soldiers had been lined up, and each soldier had been forced to choose who lived and who died. When it had come Nathaniel's turn, he had been forced to watch as the two most important people in his life were tortured in front of him. He'd been forced to watch as they burned sections of skin on Ayani's stomach and breasts and across Lucas' shoulders, back and stomach. For over an hour, Nathaniel had knelt, with his hands behind his head and his ears echoing with their screams as they were tortured in front of him. The rebels had ignored his pleas right up until they offered him a choice. With his wife and son forced to their knees on that blood-soaked street, Nathaniel was told to choose – who would live, and who would die. Nathaniel had offered his own life in exchange for theirs, only to be laughed at. His wife or his son – one or the other.

Barely fourteen years old at the time, Lucas had turned those brilliant green eyes on his father and had smiled a smile so breathtakingly pure that Nathaniel's heart had broken. He knew what his son was pleading for him to do in that moment, and when he lifted his eyes to look at his wife, Nathaniel had seen forgiveness and understanding in her gentle gaze. Nathaniel had done what any parent would; with his heart laying in tatters on that blood-stained road, he had chosen his son. And Lucas had never forgiven him for it. Not for the screams that had been torn from Ayani's throat when they slowly gutted her with a dull blade, not for the warm spray of blood that coated Lucas' face when the rebels had decapitated his mother in front of him, and not for the lack of body when the rebels set fire to her corpse in victory as Nathaniel staggered to his feet and dragged his son to safety. Lucas had screamed once, a tortured sound that he tried to strangle in his throat when his father choked out his name instead of his mother's. The sound had cut off so abruptly, that for one heart-stopping minute, Nathaniel had thought Lucas had been killed instead. It was only when they had been back in the Barracks, and Nathaniel had been washing the blood from his son's face that he'd realised something was truly wrong. Nathaniel had called Lucas' name, only to experience true silence when Lucas failed to answer him. Lucas was sitting in front of him, yet he wasn't there in spirit. He'd stared beyond his father, with blankness on his face and in his tear soaked eyes.

His silence wasn't short lived - Lucas didn't utter another word for ten months. Before the murder of his mother, Lucas' mind was already fragile due to his sheer brilliance. Unable to accept what he had seen and what he had experienced, unable to function beyond simply breathing, Lucas retreated into his mind. Simply put in layman's terms? He shut down. Upon their return to the States, Lucas was hospitalised for treatment. His body was riddled with infection, and Nathaniel was warned that he might yet loose his son. Unable to cope with the death of his wife, and faced with the possible death of his only child, Nathaniel retreated into a bottle for two weeks while Lucas lay in hospital, hooked up to machines that kept his body alive. General Richard Philbrick was the one who dragged Nathaniel out of that bottle; he berated his Commander bitterly, reminding Nathaniel that there was still a war to be fought and as a father he'd better step up and bloody win it, or the General would arrest him for insubordination. His son needed him; Lucas was now awake, and Nathaniel had better start making an appearance at his son's bedside before Lucas began to wonder if his father blamed him for the death of his mother.

His General's blunt words had sobered Nathaniel and within hours he was headed to where he should have been all along - by Lucas' side. It was only as he stepped into that sterile room that Nathaniel learned a harsh lesson – he might have been one of the General's best, but as a father, he was helpless to save his child. Lucas was strapped down; his hands were cuffed to the bed rails, and he snarled like a wounded animal whenever the hospital staff stepped close to him. Nathaniel had exploded at the sight of his son, only to be verbally slapped down by his General. Lucas was strapped down for his own safety, and for the safety of those trying to treat him. He had already stabbed a Doctor with a pen, and an Orderly with a spoon – there was something wrong with Lucas, and Nathaniel needed to be stronger than ever, because his son had suffered a psychotic break. General Philbrick set up the meetings with the best Psychiatrists the world at large had to offer. The Commander had sat there silently as the Psychiatrists laid it all out on the table; his son had suffered a traumatic, psychological breakdown.

They could treat Lucas with medication, if that was what Nathaniel wanted, but there were bound to be side effects. Nervous tics, mood swings, decreased cognitive abilities and panic attacks were just the tip of the iceberg in things that could go wrong. They could use electro-shock treatment, but with Lucas' mind already fractured beyond their expertise, there was no telling what such a treatment might do. In short, his son was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and what he needed most, was _time_. Time to heal, to live, to forgive; time to reassemble his fractured mind. Time and understanding. For Nathaniel, understanding he had. He had it in spades. Time, however, he was lacking. His Commanding Officers were riding his arse to return to work immediately. The abnormality that had been found in 2127 was being turned into a time portal, and if they were lucky, what they were trying to create could save billions of lives. As his Commander spoke about it, a germ of an idea had begun to form in Nathaniel's mind. He didn't care so much for the billions General Philbrick spoke about. He only cared about one. When he eventually signed on to Terra Nova it was with the ironclad agreement that he could take his son through as soon as he had established a base. And on this new land, in this new time, he and his son would form a new world; one that lacked the love and laughter of Ayani, yes, but surely they could forge a new way of living. Together.

Nathaniel had silently entered Lucas' room, and he slid down the wall and tried his utmost to ignore the warning growl that came from the shadows that Lucas chose to dwell in. He knew better than to try and touch his child – each time he tried Lucas would lash out violently, kicking and punching until he was released. He would then scurry back across the floor like an animal to the corner where he felt safe. Sitting in the dark, with the familiar sounds his child made, Nathaniel had spoken softly. Lucas sat huddled in the corner of the room, his nails bitten down due to nerves, and his eyes vacant as he continued to scratch out blood tinged mathematical formulas on the floor. Every day, for weeks on end, Nathaniel told him all about the time abnormality, and how the most brilliant Physicists were working on creating a portal, a way to travel through time. In one breath Nathaniel admitted that he had no idea what they were on about, and that he had always envied the easy way that Lucas could delve into the mathematical part of science with such ease. But even these Physicists were struggling with the formulas that Lucas could create so easily.

Nathaniel had paused, taking the time to draw breath, only to have that breath momentarily choke him when he saw Lucas peer out of the shadows. He hadn't moved much – it might have only been inches away from his corner, but he had moved nonetheless. And as father and son stared at one-another, Nathaniel had known they were balanced on a ledge, and that any wrong move on his part would send them both plunging back into darkness. So he had continued to talk quietly, painfully pulling out details about Quantum Physics and Particle Physics. Molecular Physics and the theories on time and space that the scientists had been talking about. He admitted slowly that nine-tenths of the time he only recognised some of the words they used because he had heard Lucas speak the term before. It was only when Nathaniel had stumbled over the pronunciation of a word several times that he heard his son speak for the first time in nearly a year.

"_Horology... not Herology."_

Nathaniel had frozen at the softly spoken words. His son's voice was husky from lack of proper use, but it was still the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

"_What's it mean?" he managed, and when Lucas coughed, Nathaniel clenched his hands as Lucas swallowed painfully._

"_It's the science of measuring time and making time pieces," Lucas finally said._

Lucas didn't speak again that day, but that was all right in Nathaniel's eyes. He had words aplenty, and he filled the silence that Lucas seemed content to let linger with those words. Every day Nathaniel would come to Lucas' room and sit in the same spot. He would tell Lucas of the progress that was being made. General Philbrick was the man who came up with the idea of drawing Lucas further out of his self-inflicted isolation. Lucas was invited to create a way for Terra Nova to talk to the future without the portal being open. Many of the scientists scoffed at the idea of a teenager being smarter than them, but when Lucas not only created the idea behind the tight line between past and present, but also managed to fix several mistakes in the equations for the portal, they were forced to swallow their words. As Lucas' reputation for brilliance grew, his reactions to those around him began to change too. Many said that Lucas' social skills were lacking; they didn't see the shyness, or the grief that dulled his eyes. Nathaniel was forced to watch as his son continued to tiptoe around him. He didn't invite his father's touch, nor did he initiate conversation. He would speak when spoken too – his work allowed him to dwell in silence, where life and those around him were hesitant to force him to face reality. Three years after his mother's death, and only days after he turned seventeen, Lucas graduated from University with his Doctorate in Physics, and a solid reputation of utter brilliance.

Yet in the time that he had been involved with the creation of Terra Nova, he had barely spoken to his father. It hurt Nathaniel in a way that he had no experience in dealing with. Somalia might have spared his son's life, but it had changed him in a way that he knew Lucas would never recover from. He spent all of his time working on the portal now. The amount of times that Nathaniel had found Lucas asleep at what would become Hope Plaza, with fatigue and stress written all over his face, were beyond ridiculous. General Philbrick told Nathaniel not to worry though – he was keeping a close eye on Lucas. He had taken the younger Taylor under his clipped wing, and he made sure that Lucas ate regularly, while Nathaniel was training those who would come through on the first and second pilgrimages. That hurt Nathaniel more than anything. His son preferred the General's company over his own, and more often than not, he would find Lucas sitting with General Philbrick and speaking softly. Lucas would clam up when Nathaniel joined them before muttering that he needed to check the calculations and drifting away from them.

The only time Nathaniel ever saw the old Lucas was when they started up the portal for the first time. It flickered within the gate structure, and when Lucas hit the dial button and the portal uplinked successfully, Lucas' triumph and relief was written all over his face. Army personnel and Scientists alike gathered around the large screen monitor as a probe was sent through the gate, and as it took scans and images, those watching caught their first glimpses of what would become Terra Nova. Nathaniel listened in awe as his son took thermal and radioactive scans, his voice calm as he said that he was picking up clean H20 readings. Over the course of three months Nathaniel only saw Lucas in the viewing room as his son took more scans and completed more tests. It was horribly ironic in a way, that four years to the day after his mother died, Lucas finally said that Terra Nova was a viable time – they could now send through the first team to begin exploration. And as those around him celebrated, Nathaniel watched as Lucas' smile faltered, and his son slipped away from the revelry and back into the shadows he preferred.

Two weeks later, Nathaniel left 2142 behind as he walked through the portal for the first time and into Terra Nova. He left 2142 behind with a heavy heart - his last moments with Lucas were burned into his brain, and as Nathaniel stumbled to his knees in the past having successfully walked through the portal, his eyes watered as he fought to breathe in the clean air that his lungs had never experienced before. General Philbrick had been standing beside Lucas when Nathaniel had walked up to the portal in 2142. And while the General had saluted him, it had been Lucas who had looked away. Lucas; who hadn't even said goodbye to him. Lucas; whose last words to his father had been a mixture of grief and promise when he said that he hoped that Terra Nova was everything his father wanted. Nathaniel hadn't known what Lucas meant, but the look on Lucas' face had said it all. Betrayal had burned in Lucas' eyes, and as he knelt there, Nathaniel had known deep inside himself that his son was angry with him, and he had no idea as to why.

Nathaniel was torn out of his memories when the door to the Brig was opened, flooding the area with light and causing those within to groan. Footsteps echoed across the floor, and Nathaniel gritted his teeth when a Taser was trailed teasingly across his shoulders, causing his back to arch in pain. For a single minute, pain obliterated every other sense, and when it stopped without warning, Nathaniel was left panting. A figure shifted in front of him, and through bleary eyes, Nathaniel finally made out the face of Hooper. The Mercenary was crouched down in front of him with a slight smile teasing the corners of his lips. The two men stared at each other for a long moment before Hooper snorted and straightened up. He jerked his head towards the door and more soldiers entered the Brig. Nathaniel was un-cuffed and then jerked to his feet, leaving his body screaming out in agony as he was allowed to move for the first time in over twelve hours. His hands were then re-cuffed before he was shoved unceremoniously towards the door of the Brig.

"Where are you taking him?" Jim shouted, and then groaned when he was shocked with the Taser in answer.

Hooper never answered Jim, and Nathaniel peered up at the sky as he wondered if this was his last moment before his death would be handed to him in the form of a bullet. But when he was shoved up the steps of the Command Centre his confusion was more than evident when he was shoved roughly into a chair instead of to his knees. Hooper walked around to the other side of the desk and trailed his fingers across the glass surface. His pale eyes lingered on Nathaniel's face for a long minute before he steepled his fingers together, and smiled slightly.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked, and Nathaniel bit his tongue in anger as Hooper laughed softly.

"I'll take that as a no," he said dryly, and then shrugged.

Hooper walked back around the desk to Nathaniel's side, and crouched down. Un-cuffing Nathaniel's hands, he re-cuffed Nathaniel's right hand to the chair, leaving his left free, before he handed Nathaniel a Plex that was plugged into the MegaPlex system.

"I'll be right outside, with more soldiers than you've ever seen before, so don't try and be a hero."

Nathaniel finally looked up at him as Hooper walked away. Just before he left the room, however, Hooper paused and glanced over his shoulder.

"There's a message on there for you. Lucas said that you should know the date by heart. You have fifteen minutes. And Taylor? You try anything, and I'll start executing those in the Brig while you watch."

Nathaniel swallowed hard, and as the door clicked shut behind Hooper, he looked down at the Plex and saw that it had been opened up to the password section of the message bank. His hand shook as he lifted it; Lucas was right, he thought bleakly as he typed in a six-digit code. He did know this date by heart.

_082124 – Password Incorrect._

Nathaniel frowned. He'd been sure it would be Lucas' birthday.

_112093_ _– Password Incorrect._

Not his birthday either, by the looks of it. As his fingers hovered over the touch screen, a darker thought entered his mind, causing him to swallow painfully as he slowly punched in the date.

_082138 – Password Correct...Retrieving Message... Please Wait... Hologram initiating... Please Stand By... Initiating... _

Nathaniel swallowed hard as a holographic image of Lucas flicked on the other side of the desk before solidifying and his son looked up from the Plex he had in his lap and smiled slightly. A simple curving of his lips, and Nathaniel shuddered as he waited for his son to speak.

"I'm wondering right now, Commander, if you passed the night as pleasantly as I plan too."

Lucas smiled again, yet the smile didn't reach his eyes as he absently scratched at his bare chest.

"I've decided to help you understand why you are in this predicament. Where you are sitting there wondering how and why and when. I want you to think about those questions, the ones that keep you awake at night. If you can access our weekly message with the correct password, I'll answer. Ten questions, Commander. Nothing more. Nothing less. Anything and everything you've always wanted to ask me. After that?"

Lucas smiled and shrugged.

"After that, I'm maintaining radio silence. You can sit on your throne in Terra Nova, and watch as I destroy it around you."

And as the Hologram of Lucas shifted and rose to his feet, he tilted the Plex slightly within his hand, allowing Nathaniel a glimpse of the room behind him. Of the bed. And as Nathaniel howled in anger at the sight of Skye curled up in the bed behind his son, Lucas smirked, and whispered mockingly,

"Sleep well tonight, Commander... I know I will."


	4. Chapter 4

4.

A dull ache behind her eyes was what slowly drove Skye into wakefulness. It was still dark, and for a half a minute, she had no recollection of what had caused her head to feel like there was a herd of Empirosaurs doing the can-can inside her skull. Had she gotten drunk with Hunter, Max and Tasha last night? The though had only half-formed when she came to the abrupt realisation that the room was unnaturally silent. There was no wind whispering through the trees, nor was there any soft murmur of night life coming through her window. Her face twisted as she tried forcing her mind to shuffle through the fragments of memory that was just beyond her reach. Shifting slightly within the warmth of the heavy blankets, Skye froze when an arm tightened around her waist. And as her eyes snapped open she realised she wasn't in bed alone. The thought had barely cleared her mind when her memories snapped back into focus, and Skye slammed her eyes shut as the last seven days played out behind her closed eyes in crystal clarity. The Sixers and the Phoenix Group taking control of Terra Nova. Meeting with Mark Reynolds and formulating a plan with Jim Shannon to help take back Terra Nova. Lucas...

Skye froze as the lap she was curled into flexed against her slightly, before warm breath gushed across the back of her neck. Slowly opening her eyes, Skye fought back her growing panic. She was laying half on her side, half on her stomach; there was a warm arm supporting her neck, while the arm that held her close felt like a steel cable wrapped around her waist. Held as firmly as she was, Skye knew there was no way she was getting out of the bed without waking whoever it was holding her. Biting back her fear, Skye swept her eyes across as much of the room as she could without moving. She wasn't in Terra Nova, that much was certain nor was she in the Sixers tree top camp; maybe she was at another camp, one that the Sixers had built in the Badlands. The walls of the room she was in were bare, and there was a slight droning noise. Skye focused on the noise, and tried to make out what it was. It sounded like the whine of a generator, but on a much larger scale. Maybe it was a water recycler, like they had at the Clinic, or a wind turbine for creating solar power.

And as she tried to make out what the noise was the hips that cradled her own pressed forward again. Skye immediately tried shifting away, only to curse under her breath when the arm holding her tightened, and a calloused hand pushed its way under her thin tank top and scraped across her ribs. Skye swallowed hard; she really didn't want to turn her head. She was almost 100% positive she knew who shared the bed with her, and to confirm their identity would mean she was in real trouble. Taking a deep breath, Skye slowly turned her head and peeked over her shoulder; the shudder that wracked her body when she saw Lucas was strong enough to cause him to frown in his sleep. His lips pillowed into a pout as a soft huff of air escaped, and Skye held her breath as he tipped his head towards her. Turning away from him, Skye bit her lip. But when the tip of Lucas' nose brushed her shoulder, and he breathed in against her, Skye carefully began to try and wiggle out of the hold Lucas had on her. It took her far longer than she anticipated – twice Skye almost slipped free of his grasp, only to have him tighten his arm around her and drag her back across the bed and into the curve of his body.

It was on the second return trip, that Lucas took his hand on a slow, lazy stroke across her belly. His thumb brushed across her hip, and he groaned softly in his sleep as he began to unconsciously rock his hips slowly against the curve of her arse. Skye squirmed against his embrace, and then stiffened slightly when Lucas' lips brushed across the bare skin of her shoulder, where he breathed out raggedly. His hand scraped up her ribs, and as his thumb brushed against the underside of her breast, Skye wrenched away from him and rolled out of the bed. Her knees hit the floor with a thud, and she was momentarily blinded by her own hair as she snapped her eyes back towards Lucas. He muttered something unintelligible under his breath as he rolled onto his back, and Skye held her breath. He remained asleep however, his lashes a thick smudge under his eyes, and his face more relaxed than she had ever seen it. Letting out the breath she held, Skye slowly peered around the dimly lit room as she began to shiver with the chill that surrounded her now that the welcoming heat of the blankets were gone. There were no windows in this room; just a bed, a low-lying couch, a metal-looking locker, and the devil himself.

With her eyes glued to Lucas' face, Skye slowly rose to her feet. Even though there were only seven steps from where she stood to the doorway, Skye still felt like she had run twenty clicks at a flat run by the time she slipped out of the bedroom. But as she turned to look around the room she was in, Skye blinked, and then blinked again. Her lips parted in horrified silence as she took in what she could see. A sky blanketed in thick brown clouds. The steady stream of hover crafts that shot past the building faster than any Rhino she had ever driven. The screens that lit up the dark sky, urging people to stay indoors today, as there was an 80% chance of acid rain. Her eyes riveted to the window before her, Skye shook her head in silent denial as her mounting fear blurred her eyesight. No, she wasn't in Terra Nova any more. She wasn't even in that time frame. She was in 2149. Cut off from her friends. From her family. From Terra Nova. She was in 2149 with Lucas, the man she had betrayed even after he'd warned her not to do so again.

Skye was so caught up in her fear, that she didn't realise she was backing away from the window until she collided with the wall; she slid down it when her legs turned to jelly, and pressed her hand over her mouth to trap the whimper that wanted to bubble free. Her eyes skittered across the dimly lit apartment, taking in the Auto-chef food prep unit, and the desk that was stacked with papers and computer chips. When she saw the door, however, she scrambled to her knees and with a helpless sob, crawled quickly across the floor towards freedom. That hope came crashing down when she saw the palm plate beside the door. No door knob, not even a lock she could eventually try to pick. The door could only be opened from the inside by Lucas. And as that knowledge swam into her mind, as the knowledge that she was trapped in the future, away from her seriously ill _Mom_, Skye's despair eclipsed every other emotion and sent a lonely tear sliding down her cheek. She crossed the apartment on unsteady feet, but when she heard Lucas shift on the bed, Skye's despair turned to anger so quickly, that she was crossing the room and slapping his face as hard as she could before she thought about the consequences of such an action.

"You bastard!"

Lucas' eyes snapped open as her hand collided with his cheek, the resounding sound of the slap echoing as his eyes locked with hers. He shifted up onto his elbow slowly as Skye stood there, her palm stinging and her shoulders shaking with anger as the blankets pooled around his hips. They stared at each other for the longest minute, and when the silence became too much to bare, Lucas' lips slowly curved into a smirk. Skye felt her eyes widen in surprise, before she scrambled onto the bed and slapped him again. Tears began to slip down her cheek as a sob slipped free of her mouth, and as Skye shifted on her knees and went to slap Lucas for a third time he reared up and grabbed her. The room tilted, and the air escaped her lungs in a painful whoosh as Lucas not only dragged her forward, but flipped her so that she landed on the bed beside him. Skye panicked and began to punch him; her soft cry was almost lost in the grunt that slipped from Lucas' mouth as he swung his leg over her hips and sat on her thighs, keeping her pinned to the bed as she continued to try and hit him.

"Bucket... wait... Skye, calm down!"

Skye continued to slap at him as her tears blinded her. She felt Lucas' hands clamp down on her shoulders before he partially lifted her into a sitting position. His fingers were careful as he wiped her eyes, the motion of his hand smoothing her hair back from her face slightly rougher as she continued to struggle against him. But when he dragged his thumb across her lower lip, Skye stilled slightly and stared up at him with wounded eyes. Her tears continued to spill across her skin and his fingers as he brushed them across her cheeks and stared down at her; the look on his face softened slightly, and he feathered his fingers across her lips slowly, but when he cupped the back of her neck and tilted her head, Skye's eyes widened in dawning realisation. For a heartbeat, her fear skittered down her spine – she was only in her underwear, and Lucas wasn't dressed much more than her. But then her anger sprang back just as hot, and the thought that he'd try to kiss her at all turned that anger to fury. Barely aware of consequence and action, Skye spat at his face as he lowered his head towards hers. Lucas snarled and his hands tightened painfully on her shoulders before he slammed her back against the mattress.

The silence of the apartment was broken by Skye's denials as Lucas wrenched her hands together and pinned them above her head. She continued to struggle and cry, her tears almost choking her as Lucas shifted his weight. It seemed to take him a ridiculously long time to figure out why she was struggling, and when he finally did, the grip on her wrists tightened so painfully that the bones in her wrists ground together. His own roughly voiced denial broke through her tears and fears, and he rolled to the side and away from her with disgust stamped across his face. He didn't try to stop her as Skye rolled away from him; he simply held his hands out to show her he meant her no harm as Skye fled the tangled bedding and pressed her back against the wall. Lucas' eyes were dark with temper, and when he rolled out of bed and took a step towards her Skye closed her eyes and lowered her chin in defeat. There was nowhere for her to go, and they both knew it. The silence that followed was thick, and it dragged on for a long moment.

"I don't know what my father has been telling you, but I'm not a rapist Skye."

Skye's eyes snapped open and locked with Lucas' when his voice finally broke the silence. The temper was still evident on his face, but it warred with disbelief and revulsion as he stared at her. He gestured to the bed with a jerk of his hand, and spoke evenly.

"It's colder here than at Terra Nova. You were..." Lucas hesitated, but temper flashed through his eyes when her breathing hitched, and he spoke coldly. "Out of it, last night, and I certainly wasn't thinking of _fucking_ you while you were unconscious when I put you in the bed. I was tired, and I had a headache, and it's colder than you're used too. Next time, I'll just let you freeze on the floor."

Skye swiped her hands across her eyes, and scoffed slightly as her fear slowly began to recede.

"What was I meant to think, Lucas?" she finally asked. "I don't know what you're capable of."

"Not that!" Lucas spat, and Skye laughed softly in disbelief.

"Really? You're capable of extreme acts of violence, Lucas! Josh's face bares witness to _that_. You're capable of cold-blooded murder. Who do you think helped prep Lieutenant Washington's body for burial in the Clinic? Not you... you were too busy drinking and laughing in the Command Centre. You're capable of many horrendous acts, Lucas... why are you so surprised that rape crossed my mind?" she asked bitterly.

Lucas snorted, and gestured towards the bed again.

"I had plenty of opportunity last night, Skye," he said bitterly. "I managed to keep my _violent tendencies_ away from your virtue. This might come as a surprise to you, but I prefer my partners awake and willing. Not unconscious, and certainly not crying. I don't know where you got that thought from, but raping you isn't something I plan on doing."

"You were going to kiss me," Skye spat, and pointed to the bed. "When you...when I was... you were going to kiss me."

Lucas snorted again, and crossing to the metal locker, he jerked it open and after glancing quickly at the contents, pulled a jumper from a shelf and tossed it towards Skye. He missed the look of surprise that crossed her face as she caught it, as he was pulling another jumper out and jerking it over his own head. Shoving his arms through the armholes, Lucas shook his head.

"A fleeting thought, I assure you," he said finally, and shoved his hands through his hair impatiently as Skye looked between him and the jumper in her hands.

"I don't need _you_ for _that_," he continued, and when he glanced at her and saw that she was staring at the jumper again, he snarled. Crossing the room, he jerked it out of her hands and shook it out.

"If I want to fuck someone, Skye, there are plenty of women out there for me to choose from. You're a means to an end. Nothing more, nothing less."

Silence resumed for a moment as Lucas roughly jerked the jumper over Skye's head. He left her to finish putting it on as he crossed back to the bed and bent down to pull his computer out from under it. But as he went to walk out of the bedroom, Skye stamped her foot.

"Then why am I here?" she shouted.

Her breath hitched when Lucas glared at her, and his lips twisted as he shrugged.

"As I said... you're a means to an end. Nothing more, nothing less."

He walked out of the room, and after a moments hesitation, Skye followed him. He was already sitting at the desk when she stepped through the doorway, with his computer open, and the strange symbols highlighted against the walls. It was only when he hooked the computer up to the Plex that Skye finally spoke.

"What do you mean?"

Lucas glanced at her, but didn't speak as he began to tap against the Plex, and more symbols appeared. He mumbled something under his breath, his fingers tapping out a quick staccato against the desktop, before he typed in another formula.

"Lucas?"

He glanced over his shoulder in annoyance, his eyes cool as they swept over her body.

"I'm busy, Skye," he said finally, and then turned back to the Plex in front of him. "I've got so much to do... not enough time... there's so much riding on this..."

And as Skye watched him, Lucas delved back into his work. She might as well have been invisible; to Lucas she simply ceased to exist. All that did exist were the mathematical formulas, and the burning need to make phase two work. The vendetta against his father, the death of his mother, even the soft noise of skin against wall as Skye slid down the wall and sat on the floor couldn't break his concentration. And as his words echoed in her mind, Skye tugged the jumped over her knees and watched him in silence.

XxXxXxXxX

A means to an end. Skye slowly perused the contents of the Auto-chef as the sounds of Lucas' soft mutters filled the apartment. A means to an end to what? She had sat and watched Lucas for over an hour after he had turned back to his work. But the cold had finally driven her back to the bedroom, where she had tugged her pants and socks back on. The jumper Lucas had given to her hung to mid thigh, and kept sliding off her shoulder, but it was warm. She'd found a sonic tooth cleaner in the cupboard when she had finally found the courage to go to the bathroom. With her face washed and her teeth clean, Skye finally felt slightly more human, save for the dull throb of a headache. She was no doubt suffering from a mild concussion, but how she wasn't worse off was still a mystery to her. Her hygiene taken care of, Skye had silently returned to the main room, where she had taken up refuge near the door of the bedroom. Lucas had still been caught up in his work so much so that the silence was only broken by his fretful mutterings.

The silence, while a blessing, was also a curse. Skye had found herself replaying their conversation several times over in her head. Lucas had seemed genuinely surprised that she'd thought he'd rape her. Genuinely surprised, and hurt. And in replaying that moment over in her mind, Skye had also replayed their history. Other than what he had done when he had broken free of his restraints in the clearing, Lucas had never physically hurt her before. Threatened, yes. But he'd never given her reason to believe that he would hurt her. If anything, he had led her to believe that she meant something to him; within that twisted mind, he believed them to be family. And as Skye thought it over, she came to the realisation that using his beliefs against him was the only way that she would get back to Terra Nova in one piece. But even that plan was riddled with holes – he had resorted to calling her Skye, rather than Bucket. And there in of itself was a sign that he was separating her from the '_family_' category in his mind, and moving her towards the '_enemy_' category he kept his father in. And when her stomach twisted with hunger, Skye finally figured out that to get Lucas to trust her, she would have to play the dutiful little sister that he saw her as.

Skye finally reached out and pressed the button on the Auto-chef. It hummed softly, before a serve of warm protein spilled into the bowl she had set under it. Glancing at Lucas out of the corner of her eye, Skye hesitated for a long minute, before she set another bowl under the Auto-chef, and pushed the button again. When it was ready, she gathered her courage and approached Lucas. Yet even as she stood beside him, he was too deeply involved in his work to notice her, and it took Skye nudging his elbow with the bowl for him to look up. His eyes were unfocused, and when he looked up at her, his surprise was evident.

"Bucket?" he asked softly, as his eyes flitted past her and across the empty apartment.

Skye fought down the relief that filled her when he used his nickname for her, and simply held the bowl out as she fought to keep her expression neutral.

"Food," she said by way of explanation, and when he finally reached out and took it from her, Skye turned away from him and walked across the room to the window.

The protein was horrible, but Skye managed to swallow, and when she looked at Lucas she shrugged when she saw the look on distaste his face.

"Tastes like shit, but it isn't like we have a choice of fresh produce like we do back on Terra Nova. I miss the selection," she said softly, and when Lucas grimaced as he swallowed, Skye turned her gaze back to the window.

They ate in silence; Lucas stood up and stretched, before he disappeared into the bathroom. Skye stayed where she was, with her head resting against the glass, and her eyes moving over the desolate landscape. It was only when she caught sight of Lucas' reflection that she set her empty bowl aside. Rising to her feet, she gestured outside.

"Where are we exactly? I don't remember much from before."

Lucas tilted his head slightly as he stared at her reflection, before his lips curved slightly.

"Hope Plaza is located in Chicago. It's a big city, filled with the hopeless and dying."

Skye nodded, and continued to stare at the lights that bounced off the cloud cover before fracturing. She was so caught up in her perusal she didn't see Lucas approach her on silent feet until his hands pressed against the glass, effectively trapping her between his arms as he looked outside.

"Horrible, isn't it?" he murmured, and Skye swallowed hard but nodded. "I miss the night sky when I'm here. I miss being able to look at the stars, and being able to map out the different constellations."

"Yet you plan on destroying those stars," Skye whispered, and Lucas hummed softly.

"Do I?" he finally asked, and tilting his head, brushed his lips across her temple.

Skye jumped as if his touch had burned her. Lucas chuckled softly, and moving his head slightly, brushed the edge of her ear with his lips.

"Don't try to play games with me, Skye. I don't like it."

Skye froze as his words brushed her ear, along with the fullness of his bottom lip. Even as she went to turn, Lucas was bracing his hand between her shoulder blades, and holding her still. Unable to turn, she lifted her eyes to meet his gaze in the window. His eyes were clear, and the look on his face promised payback if she didn't obey. And when she finally nodded, Lucas smiled slightly.

"Why?"

Skye whispered it, and Lucas lifted his hand from her back and pressed it back against the glass. They both knew she meant more than that, and after a long moments silence, Lucas' lips pursed slightly as he shrugged.

"Because I can," he said finally. "I tried to keep you safe. I told you before I left for the portal the first time, not to return to Terra Nova. But you did. You not only returned to Terra Nova, you told my father everything. I told you when I took control and sent him fleeing into the jungle like the coward he is... don't betray me again."

Lucas met her gaze in the reflection, and scowled at her.

"But you did."

Skye swallowed as she shook her head slightly, only to have Lucas chuckle softly in her ear.

"So...so this is my punishment?" she asked. "Being taken away from my Mom when she's so sick?"

Lucas laughed again, and dropping his nose to her shoulder, nuzzled the skin that was exposed by the size of her jumper.

"No, Skye," he said finally. "I told you. You're a means to an end for me now. Nothing more. Nothing less. I took you because I knew it would hurt my father. I knew that the mere _thought_ of you being with me, here, in 2149, would drive him crazy. Your punishment?"

Lucas clicked his tongue against his teeth, and turning his head, brushed his lips over her temple again.

"That'll come when I return to Terra Nova and leave you here."

He breathed it against her skin, and Skye staggered slightly as she stared up at him in horror. Lucas' lips quirked slightly into a smile, before he pushed away from the glass and returned to the desk. But as he sat down to continue his work, he flicked his hand slightly towards her.

"Don't look so horrified, Skye. I told you that I wouldn't be so forgiving next time. So these little games of yours, where you try to win back my affections and trust? They won't work. I showed you back on Terra Nova, that I would have given you anything you asked for. I proved that when you asked me to let the Shannon boy go. But now? You get nothing. You _mean_ nothing. Now leave me be. I have work to do."

He turned back to his work as Skye stared at him. When his fingers began to fly over the Plex again, Skye fled the room and hid in the bathroom. Pressing her fists against her mouth, she tried desperately to contain the sobs that wanted to spill free, and while she might have been successful in containing the noise, she was unable to stop the tears that spilt down her face. Helpless to contain those tears, she curled up on her side and let them come. She cried for a long time, so much so that when exhaustion offered her a moment's respite, she slid into a troubled sleep with the absolute certainty that she was finally cried out. She only woke once during the long night, a brief surfacing into consciousness as a hand brushed her hair back from her face. But the trip from sleep to reality was brief, and Skye slid back into her dreams with no effort. The next time she woke, it was morning. And as she lay there her despair returned full force when she realised that she was back in the bed with Lucas. He was curled around her, much as he had been the first time she woke in his arms. And as she lay there, she found she indeed had more tears to spill. Pressing her fist against her mouth, she tried to muffle her sobs so that she wouldn't wake the devil who held her so tightly.

Behind her, however, Lucas' eyes slowly opened as Skye's body shook with the force of her grief. His face troubled, Lucas remained silent as she wept. It was only when her tears faded into hiccups, that he tightened his arm around her. He knew when she slid back into sleep; her body slowly relaxed, and she sighed once, a mournful sound that sent chills racing over his body despite the blankets that covered them. He lay there silently, holding her, until she finally rolled over in his arms and pressed her face against his chest. It was then, and only then, that he tilted his head and ghosted his lips over her forehead. Holding her, breathing her in, Lucas swallowed hard. Lying and deception, it seemed, was something he and his father had in common – they were both good at it. The lesson he had wanted to teach Skye had been taught, but the cost? Lucas brushed his lips over Skye's forehead again and closed his eyes. The cost had been her tears. The sounds she had tried to muffle had torn at him, distracting him from his work. And for that? For that, he would step up the game on his father; he knew just where to start.


	5. Chapter 5

5.

Lucas woke up slowly; warm, sleepy, and strangely sated he breathed in the scent of soap that lingered in Skye's hair. His exhale was ragged, and as Skye shifted within the circle of his arms, a small smile curved his lips as her hand slipped across his side where it had rested for most of the night. His hand drifted lazily down the curve of her back, his fingers dipping along the indents of her spine; the motion of his fingers had Skye shifting against him and she exhaled softly. The damp heat of her breath was oddly arousing against his bare chest and Lucas hummed softly as his hand curled across the gentle swell of her hip. With no real concept of time within the darkened room, Lucas shifted closer to Skye and let the heat of her breath and the soft sounds she made as she slept lull him back towards his dreams. But as warm as he was, and as much as he didn't want to leave the bed, his work was calling him with growing urgency and as his fingers shifted across Skye's ribs, Lucas forced his eyes open with a groan. He enjoyed these early morning preludes; he enjoyed Skye's pliancy within his arms as she slept, rather than the wounded shadows beneath her eyes and the silence that she had sunk into. It had been three days since he had taught her that she could no longer fool him; a harsh lesson to learn, but then, betrayal had been one she had taught him. She had the face of an angel, yet the lies that dripped from her lips were sweetly poisonousness. Three days in which she had yet to speak to him beyond simple one or two word answers.

The day he had shattered the lie that Skye had tried to build around him he had entered the bedroom late; he'd been tired, his head had ached, and he wanted nothing more than to slip into sleep and the silence he found when he held her. But instead of finding her within the warmth of the blankets, he had found an empty bed. Instead of her being warm, he had found her sleeping fitfully on the bathroom floor. For the longest moment Lucas had stared at her in surprise; he'd taken in her swollen eyes and the tears that stained her cheeks, before he had gathered her up and slipped her into the bed where she slept deeply within the warmth of his embrace. The following morning, however, she had fled the bed before the sleep had even cleared her eyes. Come that night, they had repeated the routine; he'd seek her out, return her to the bed, and then watch her flee his arms the following day. It was a routine he was growing weary of. Lifting up onto his elbow slightly, Lucas smoothed a stray curl back from her cheek. And as he bent his head and brushed his lips over her temple, he wondered if today was the day she gave into the inevitable, and came to bed willingly. His lips lingered against her skin, before he shifted his body and dragged his lips lightly across her cheek. It was only when his lips neared the corner of her mouth, that Skye's hand left his side and pressed against his chest. Caught up in the feel of her skin under his lips, he forgot that her palm meant stop. But when her nails dug into his pectoral muscle, Lucas rubbed his cheek across hers and sighed softly.

"Are you going to speak to me today, Skye?" he murmured.

Skye remained silent, and after shifting up onto his elbow, Lucas looked down at her; her eyes remained shut, yet when he skimmed the back of his fingers across her cheek, those clear blue eyes opened, and she stared up at him silently. Lucas felt a muscle in his jaw jump when he saw the condemnation burning in her eyes; blame and the tiniest hint of shame, and her lashes swept down and hid her true feelings from sight. Blame and shame – those he had in spades, and if he could dig those emotions out of her and replace them with anger, then he would. Grasping her chin with his fingers, he bent his head; she remained still under his lips when he brushed them across her forehead. She remained still when they brushed across her temple, and over her cheek. And before she could avoid it, he curled down into the bed again and pressed a rough kiss to her lips. A punishment, one that went both ways, and as Skye yelped and rolled away from him, Lucas snickered darkly. He rose from the bed and shoved his hands through his hair, before pointing at Skye scornfully.

"Stop looking at me like I'm evil incarnate Skye when your halo is currently resting around your neck," he spat. "You treat me like I'm the devil, like you're a _victim_, but I ask you to remember this; who lied to whom? Because I'm pretty sure we _both_ know the answer to that!"

"You _are_ evil incarnate, Lucas, because I'm pretty damn sure myself that _I'm_ not the one planning on killing _you_, " Skye hissed.

"No? Are you seriously trying to tell me that if you had a sonic in your hand right now that you wouldn't use it against me, Skye?" Lucas asked mockingly, and when she faltered, Lucas laughed again.

"I don't know if I'd be able to shoot you, Lucas," she said finally as she watched Lucas reach under the bed and pull out the satchel that had housed his computer. "I hope that you never put me in the position where we find out."

She broke off when he pulled out the sonic she had lost to him back on Terra Nova. Lucas silently dropped the satchel on the ground, and turning the sonic in his hand, he checked that it was loaded, before he turned it on. The soft whir it emitted told her that the setting was on high – a kill shot, rather than one that would stun. And as he rounded the end of the bed, Skye slowly backed away from him. It was only when he turned the sonic in his hand and offered it to her butt first, that Skye stilled. The moment grew brittle, and when she lifted her eyes to his, Lucas scoffed softly and made an impatient movement with his hand.

"Go on...take it."

Her hand shook when Skye hesitantly reached out to take the sonic. Its weight was familiar in her hand, yet it felt wrong. Lucas sighed impatiently, and reaching out, wrapped her hand around the butt of the gun more firmly.

"You're not sure if you could shoot me... but you'd want to make it count if you did, Skye," he said softly as he pulled her hand up so that the nuzzle of the sonic was pressed directly over his heart. "You'd aim for here... and if you pulled that trigger, you'd wanna hope that I didn't get back up again."

Skye's hand began to shake beneath his, and with a deft twist of his wrist, Lucas took the sonic from her and turned it off. It was only when he'd made sure that the chamber didn't house any bullets, did he make a point of showing her where he was storing it in the locker that housed his clothing. He remained silent on the subject, but when he turned back to face Skye, her arms were crossed and her face showed how troubled her thoughts were.

"What is it?" he asked with a sigh, and Skye licked the corner of her lips slightly.

"You...you deliberately frighten me, Lucas... you make me question everything that comes out of your mouth... you said that you were gonna kill me..."

"I never said anything about killing you," Lucas said coolly, and when Skye flinched, Lucas smiled slightly, a smile that was devoid of all warmth. "I said I was planning on leaving you here when I returned to Terra Nova. I've got enough to worry about without having to worry whether or not you're going to lure me into another ambush."

"But you said..."

Skye broke off as Lucas waited for her brain to catch up with the conversation. It was only when her lips tightened that he clapped his hands together slowly.

"Finally figured it out, did you?" he asked dryly, and as he walked past her, she reached out and grabbed his arm.

"You let me think that you were going to leave me here when you returned to Terra Nova!"

"And I am, Skye," Lucas interrupted. "I'm leaving you here when I go through the terminal tomorrow."

"But you'll be back," Skye finished slowly when he trailed off, and Lucas chuckled softly as she turned away from him.

"I told you not to play games with me, Skye. You'll lose every time."

"So you lied to me," Skye said softly, and then winced when Lucas grabbed her arm and swung her back to face him.

"I have _never_ lied to you, Skye. I have no need too. If I tell you something, I mean it."

"But you let me think that you..."

Lucas smiled grimly as she broke off, and he nodded when she lifted troubled eyes to his.

"Yes, I did let you think. Hurts, doesn't it, to feel a betrayal like that."

"So that was my punishment?" Skye asked softly, and Lucas reached out and tweaked her nose playfully.

"Hmm... was it?"

A brisk knock on the door ended the conversation and Lucas walked away from Skye without another word. Slapping his hand against the palm plate, Lucas spoke quietly.

"View screen, front door."

Skye's jaw dropped when the door, that had always appeared rock solid, flickered and became transparent. Craig Weaver was standing there and as Lucas swore and glanced over his shoulder at Skye, Weaver lifted his hand and knocked again.

"Bucket..."

Skye's eyes snapped to Lucas. Not so much for the name but the tone of it. There was a hidden warning in his pet name for her – a warning and a plea, and Skye backed slowly into the shadows of the bedroom. She saw the small look of relief that crossed Lucas' face, before his eyes turned flat and cold, and he straightened up. And as Weaver knocked on the door again, Lucas scowled and slapped his hand against the door plate once more. The locks disengaged with a loud click, a sound that was more foreboding than Skye had realised. And as the door swung open, the scowl on Lucas' face melted away, leaving behind indifference, and the faintest hint of boredom.

"Lucas. How are the calculations coming?"

Skye pressed herself against the wall and covered her mouth as Weaver walked into the apartment. Lucas left the door open as he walked away from Weaver, the subtle message deafeningly loud as Lucas slowly pursued the content of the Auto-chef. From her vantage point, Skye saw the slow perusal Weaver took of Lucas' body; she saw the way his eyes lingered across the width of Lucas' shoulders, and the way they travelled down his bare back. And when Lucas' shoulders hunched slightly, Skye knew that Lucas was aware of Weaver's lingering gaze.

"They're coming," Lucas said finally as he pushed a button on the Auto-chef, and placed a cup under the opening. The scent of synthetic coffee filled the air, and a look of distaste crossed Weaver's face.

"Why you won't consider sharing quarters with me is beyond it all, Lucas," Weaver said with a frown. "At least I have a chef who knows how to make actual food, rather than the shit that comes out of those Auto-chefs."

"And as I pointed out to you, Weaver, the last time you so graciously asked; I prefer my privacy," Lucas said softly.

Weaver sniffed, and carefully smoothed his hand over the front of his hair as Lucas lifted his cup and took a mouthful of the synthetic coffee. It was barely there, but Skye saw the distaste that flickered across his face as he forced himself to swallow. And as Weaver glanced around the apartment, Lucas looked up and locked eyes with Skye. The look they shared was brief; Lucas' eyes slid back to Weaver again not a second later, but Skye began to silently inch her way further into the shadows. Warning sent and received.

"You'd have privacy, Lucas," Weaver said stubbornly. "All the privacy you could ask for. At least I wouldn't have to come down here to the slums to check up on you."

"I never asked you to come here, Weaver," Lucas murmured, and as his eyes flicked towards the bedroom, Skye eased herself down between the bed and the wall where the shadows hid her completely. "I'm not a child who needs adult supervision. I know what I'm doing, and I know the time frame in which it needs to be done."

"You're far too distracted here, Lucas," Weaver muttered. "I expected you to have the answers by now."

Lucas snorted, and gestured towards Weaver with his mug.

"And you graduated with your Doctorate...when?" he asked mockingly, and when Weaver flinched, Lucas set his mug down with an audible click.

"Don't come up here, Weaver, pushing your way in and expecting miracles. I know the time frame. I know what my employers expect. I don't answer to _you_."

"It's that girl, isn't it?" Weaver muttered, and Lucas straightened up slightly as Weaver glanced around the apartment. "You still haven't told me why she's here," he continued, and as he looked towards the bedroom, Skye held her breath.

"Skye's here because _I want_ her here," Lucas said, and his tone broke no argument. "I'm here, because I want my privacy."

Weaver sniffed again, and walked towards the desk where Lucas' work was. While Lucas might not have said the words out loud, the accusation that he _didn't_ want Weaver here still came across loud and clear. Pausing in front of the desk, Weaver scowled in frustration when he saw that the computer was cycled down and locked, and as he turned towards the bedroom, he was forced to pause mid step as Lucas stepped between him and the bedroom door. Lucas' face was relaxed, but the look in his eyes had Weaver changing direction abruptly, and he walked towards the kitchen counter.

"Is she your lover?"

Lucas simply tilted his head to the side, and as Weaver glanced back towards the bedroom, Skye saw Lucas' hand clench before he forced himself to relax.

"Is she?"

"That's really none of your business, Weaver," Lucas said softly. "Who or what I do in my spare time is none of your business. If I want to parade down the main tunnels butt naked, as long as I've got phase two completed in time, there really isn't anything you can do or say about it."

Weaver huffed softly, and leaning against the counter, he gestured towards the bedroom.

"The thing I have always admired about you Lucas is your drive and your dedication to the cause. But the last few times I have seen you, you've been... _distracted_ by her... You know how much is needed to be done; how much is riding on your calculations, and if this girl is becoming too much of a distraction, you need to be made aware of it. You want to fuck her ten ways from Sunday, that is your business, that's true. But there are millions of dollars invested in phase two, and if she's mucking up the waters... you should consider sending her back, so that you can focus on what needs to be done."

Lucas' eyes flicked shut briefly, as a muscle jumped in his jaw. But when he opened his eyes again, his voice remained calm even as his anger showed in his eyes.

"Maybe," Lucas said softly. "Maybe not. What I _do_ know, Weaver, is that again, it is none of your business. And I don't appreciate you interrupting my morning to tell me that you don't approve of how I spend my free time."

"So long as you have phase two completed and soon," Weaver said, "I don't care. But maybe the Senior Partners will."

He narrowed his eyes at Lucas, and turning, he made his way towards the door. But as he went to walk out the door, Lucas spoke quietly.

"Don't come up here again without invitation, Weaver. I'd hate to think what the Senior Partners would have to say if _I_ felt the need to remind them that the future's survival is dependant upon my work."

Weaver froze, and as he looked over his shoulder, Lucas set his mug down on the counter and shrugged slightly.

"I'll be ready to go back through the terminal tomorrow. There are a few things that need to be taken care of back at Terra Nova, things that need my attention. I've got a meeting with the heads of the Phoenix Group before I go, however..."

Lucas trailed off, and smiled slightly when Weaver swallowed.

"I'll leave you to your work then," Weaver said finally, and as he walked out the door, he glanced back at Lucas.

"Have a safe journey," he murmured.

The door clicked shut and locked automatically. The sound was deafeningly loud and Lucas sagged and pressed his fingers to his eyes. His work, and the people he answered too, where necessary evils that he had to deal with. He reminded himself of that as he straightened up and made his way to his computer. He could hear the soft sound of Skye shifting from where she had hidden herself, but as his equations flickered across the wall in front of him, he lost the ability to concentrate on anything beyond his work, and focused on the glowing symbols. They flickered and danced, and as he began to work out the finer aspects of the equations, a headache started to simmer behind his eyes. It clawed at his skull, and as his mind began to unravel, Lucas fisted his hands in his hair to try and bring the world back into focus.

It didn't happen. Instead it blurred, as stress and pain tore apart his carefully constructed mental walls. Staggering from his chair, Lucas pressed his fingers to his eyes again and bit back a groan of pain. The light of the apartment made his brain feel like there were a million red hot pokers inside his skull, and as he dragged his fingers down his face, Lucas caught sight of Skye reaching out to him. Her fingers were cold against his skin, and Lucas groaned again as she lightly touched his face. But when she spoke his name, it sounded distorted and Lucas jerked away from her and bumped into the kitchen counter.

And as Skye watched him, he folded into himself and simply slid down the side of the counter. He pressed his fists to his temples, and the shudder of breath that escaped him visibly shook his shoulders. The pain began to thump inside his skull, and he couldn't contain his soft groan of anguish as the vicious headache took hold of his mind and caused it to fracture slightly. Lucas began to recite the primary numbers softly, his voice tinged with desperation as he mumbled. He heard his name called softly, but the need to reassemble himself was to great to ignore. It took him nearly an hour, but when he opened his eyes again, Skye was kneeling between his spread thighs, with her hands braced against his shoulders, and her hair tangled within his clenched fists. His eyes cleared slowly, and he took in the stray tears lingering on her cheeks, and the silent questions glowing in her eyes; without thought of the consequences, Lucas pulled her closer, and kissed her.

It wasn't his best effort; the angle was wrong, and even though her lips trembled under his, they remained closed. But her lips were soft, and as he rubbed his lips lightly over hers, the tremors in his hands slowly subsided. Closing his eyes, he rested his forehead against hers for a minute, before he pulled her against his chest and bending his head, Lucas wrapped his arms around her silently and buried his face in the curve of her throat. They sat that way for a long while; the trembling that still shook Lucas' shoulders slowly stopped when Skye finally slipped her arms around him, her hand a careful motion across his bent head. When he finally lifted his head again, Skye's lips curved slightly when she saw that his eyes were clear. Her smile faded when Lucas feathered his fingers across her mouth, and she shook her head silently. Lucas tightened the hand he still had buried in her hair, and again Skye shook her head.

"Don't."

It was a whispered plea, one he ignored, and when he bent his head and brushed his lips over hers, Skye turned her face away from his as best as she could. Lucas lifted his head and stared down at her, and after a moment, he finally released her hair from his hand, and let his hand drop back to his lap as Skye rubbed the back of head.

"Why not?" he finally said.

Skye swallowed, and after licking her lips, she spoke hesitantly.

"The truth?"

Lucas nodded, and Skye carefully shifted away from him, and crossed her legs.

"Because it's you, Lucas. Because you hold me in your bed at night as if you have every right too. I told you before...you frighten me. You do so deliberately. You hold me, and you touch me, and you do so like it's ok. Like I'm here by choice, when we both know that I'm not."

Lucas snorted and spoke bitterly.

"It's just a kiss, Skye."

"It wouldn't remain that way, Lucas, and you know it," she countered softly. "One kiss would become another, and I'd find myself on my back, while you took whatever you wanted from me...whether I wanted to give it or not. If that happened once, it would happen again, and you'd be left wondering if I truly wanted you, or if I gave in because I had no choice. You told me that you weren't a rapist... and that's all it would be."

Lucas flinched at her words, and dragged his hands down over his face.

"Are you really going through to Terra Nova tomorrow?" she asked after a moment, and Lucas nodded.

"Yeah... there are things I need to do."

"Will... will you check on my Mom while you're there?" she whispered, and Lucas glanced at her sharply.

The silence between them lingered. It lingered and thickened, and when Skye lowered her eyes, Lucas slowly rose to his feet.

"If I thought you'd stay by my side, Skye, I'd take you through with me," he said finally. "If I thought I could trust you, I'd ask you to come. But you don't trust me, and I don't trust you. But I'll do as you ask. Because that trust has to start somewhere, doesn't it?"

And as he walked over to his computer and booted it back up, Skye was left silently nodding. Because trust did have to start somewhere. Trust from him had to come in the form of a loaded sonic, one that she had pointed at him. And as Skye silently watched Lucas' shoulders hunch as he delved into his work, she wondered why he had offered her the sonic in the first place. Before she could delve much further into her thoughts, Lucas abruptly stood up and gestured towards the bedroom.

"Get dressed... we're going out," he muttered.

Skye scrambled to her feet as Lucas headed for the bathroom, her non verbal question answered as Lucas turned the shower on.

"You need some clothes, because as much as I don't mind sharing, my pants won't fit you, and you'll need some sort of entertainment while I'm gone."

And as she pulled her pants on, Skye was left wondering what this new angle of Lucas' was, and why it left her feeling like she didn't know the answers to all the questions… let alone the correct questions to ask.


	6. Author's Note

Hey, guys. Just wanted to give you all a heads up, as I know you are waiting in an update. My husband and son were involved in a head on collision, so my writing has taken a back seat, no pun intended, until they are fully mended. I'm not abandoning this fic, but I honestly don't know when I'll be able to sit down next and get the story written. Hope you are all well. Cheers; Kerri. xx


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